Beck Center for Veterans to Host Inaugural Golf Tournament in September
JONESBORO – A center established at Arkansas State University in 2008 to serve area veterans will host a benefit golf tournament this fall.The Beck Center for Veterans will host the Beck Golf Classic on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Paragould Country Club.This inaugural event will be $350 for each four-person team. Prizes will be awarded to first, second and third-place teams, with individual prizes for the longest drive and closest to the pin.The tournament is a fundraiser for the Beck Center. Established by A-State alumni Buddy and Charlotte Beck, the center is a non-profit organization that serves area veterans.“The military is a tight-knit community and transitioning to another community like a campus can be difficult to navigate. We want to make that transition as smooth as possible to ensure academic success,” said A-State student Johnathon Mullins.Mullins is an A-State graduate with a degree in environmental studies and is currently enrolled in the environmental sciences doctoral program.
Not only that, Mullins is president of the A-State Veterans Organization and serves as the liaison to the National Student Veterans of America.“The center for me is the hub of my university experience. When I worried I wasn’t going to be able to afford school in the manner I had planned I came to the center. I was fortunate enough to be able to share my concern with the director at the time and I was eligible to become a VA work-study at the facility,” said Mullins.“As an undergraduate student, I had so many things at my fingertips in one place that traditional students would have to go to several places to use. All of those resources were free of charge,” he added.Mullins said the assistance he received made it possible for him to continue his education.“If it were not for the faith and encouragement these people put in me I likely would have stopped at a bachelor's degree,” said Mullins.He said the center has been instrumental in his success as a student veteran.
Beck Center Director Jana Haskins said the need to raise money to better serve veterans is where the golf tournament got started.“The money raised will all go to the foundation to help serve our veterans in many areas, including food, housing and transportation,” said Haskins.
Mullins said it is important for student veterans to know that the Beck Center for Veterans is available on campus. The center provides education assistance, personal rehabilitation services, mental health services and a combat veteran support group.
The Beck Center for Veterans is located in the Lt. Col. Frederick C. Turner Jr. Military Science Building.Anyone interested in participating in the Beck Golf Classic can contact Jana Haskins at jhaskins@AState.edu or call the center at (870) 972-2624.
